Braden Holtby and the case of the missing puck

Washington Capitals netminder Braden Holtby was almost successful in making a puck disappear in the third period against the Florida Panthers on Sunday.

Holtby had everyone fooled, including himself for almost two minutes - which is equivalent to a lifetime in the broadcast world.

Three referees and several players gathered around the net displaying a mixture of confusion, frustration, shock, and utter disbelief.

Holtby's sheer determination to find the puck my have been motivated by the fear of his magical powers being revealed. It would have made for a tense moment if he had to explain to everyone that he is able to make pucks vanish from the face of the earth.

It's also not out of the realm of possibility that the puck was trying to escape the limiting boundaries of the arena or just play a really mean joke.

Order was restored, however, when the puck, perhaps out of a sense of guilt, suddenly returned as the search was being called off.